July 14, 2013

Blog the Change for Animals: Well Done, San Diego!

It's Blog the Change for Animals time again!
Blog the Change
It kinda snuck up on me this time, and I wasn't sure what to write about - but then I remembered a big pet-related item in the news this week in San Diego: the City Council voted to ban retail store pet sales.

This is great news for 2 main reasons:
(1) The ban is a a response to how badly animals are treated in commercial breeding facilities. San Diego is now the 32nd city in North America to enact such legislation. Yay, San Diego!

(2) This is the even better part (IMO): this gets the info about puppy mills out to the general animal-loving public, who may not be as dialed in as those of us who blog/read pet-blogs/donate to shelters. Folks in San Diego who watch the news or read the paper or (more likely) see the headlines their friends share on Facebook will find out about the plight of dogs in puppy mills.

Remember how Snoopy used to always say he was from the "Daisy Hill Puppy Farm." I think that's where most folks think puppies in pet stores come from - a happy little farm, with beagle puppies (and other adorable pups) romping in the grass. (I used to think that! I suppose at one point they did, before it became big business.)
An adorable beagle pup romping (or howling in this case) in the grass - our angel Bailey
If people knew about the terrible health conditions that puppy mill dogs live in, they wouldn't want to buy those dogs - not just because it's the right thing to do for the animals, but who wants to fall in love with a new pup and then have it get sick? That's heart-breaking - and expensive. (One council member summed up that same thought by saying the issue isn't just about ensuring animals are treated humanely, it's about "consumer protection.")

I hope it doesn't seem unfeeling of me to bring this important animal welfare issue down to the dollars and cents - but, let's face it, the only way a lot of folks out there will pay attention to something is if it affects their wallet. Folks who have unfortunately, unknowingly purchased a puppy mill pup and had it have a host of problems have learned the oh-so-hard way. Hopefully others will learn just by hearing about this ordinance. 

I was interested to read in the coverage of the news (which you can read here if you want the full details) that there are only 2 pet stores in San Diego that will be affected. (Maybe that in itself is a good sign!) I suppose some folks will decry that this is government butting in, but I'm glad the city made this move. As the President of the San Diego Humane Society said, "San Diego is one of the pet friendliest cities in the nation, so it's important that we set the standard for the humane treatment of animals and for animal welfare issues nationwide."

I definitely think San Diego is one of the pet friendliest cities so I'm glad we live here - and glad this ordinance was passed! I know you guys don't need to be educated on this - but the masses do, and hopefully lots of them heard this news and why it's important!

How's about a cute dog pic - this little one-eyed, ~5yr old, 8lb Dachshund/Chihuahua blend is available at Helen Woodward where I volunteer. Isn't she a cutie?
Bella - a happy girl who needs a furever home!

Go check out all their dogs - including a LOT of adorable puppies here.

Happy Blog the Change for Animals Day!

And thanks to founders Kim Clune and Amy Burkert for sponsoring Blog the Change!

36 comments:

  1. Congrats to San Diego! Well done. We were lucky enough to adopt not a puppy from a puppy mill - but we got one of the breeder moms - our Maggie May. If you think the puppies have it bad, at least they get out of there - the moms have to stay. Thank goodness Maggie got out - but she lived there for 8 years, so she's pretty scarred. We are doing our best to make the rest of her life happy and carefree. Bottom line is, the puppy mill industry has to be shut down. Thanks for writing about this.

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    1. I didn't know Maggie May was a puppy mill mama. Poor girl. Yes, the mamas definitely have it worse than the the pups. So glad she found her way to you!

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    2. I didn't know that about Maggie/Slimdoggy Sister either, Slimdoggy! I have friends on Whidbey Island here is Washington who have routinely adopted puppy mill mom golden retrievers (for the last 30 years or so.) The poor dogs were always in such bad shape and it is so hard for them to understand that horrible first 6-8 or sometimes 9 years of their life is over and they can just be happy now. Anyways, congrats to San Diego indeed for taking such an important step in ending puppy mill horrors.

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  2. Well done San Diego and let's hope more states join in. Have a marvellous Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

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    1. Yes, the more who pass these laws, the more who will join. Then the internet sales will have to be next...

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  3. I'd read the good news about San Diego and it put a big smile on my face! Though the new law (and enforcement) in Missouri is closing many of the puppy mills here, this is another necessary ingredient to putting an end to puppy mills - taking away the easy way of selling those puppies. Just wish more cities / pet shops would follow suit. Great post!

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    1. I'm glad to hear some of the puppy mills there are closing!

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  4. There is no greater sales person in the world than a puppy saying "Buy me, buy me." Irresistible. The pet stores here are offering shelter pups on a regular basis instead of puppy mill products and it is a win win for all.

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    1. We have some stores here that also offer shelter pups. Definitely win-win!

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  5. Well done San Diego, now if we could just get rid of the internet sites that sell puppy mill puppies as farm raised family raised farms. That is where I came from was the cruel la deville puppy mill and so did mags and gussie, we hate them!
    stella rose

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    1. Yes - the internet sites are ridiculous. I don't understand someone buying a puppy off the internet. I didn't know you guys were from a puppy mill - I'm so glad your mom found you!

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  6. Yay San Diego!

    My neighborhood has a pet store that sells puppies. It pisses me off! While I despise puppy mills, unfortunately a lot of the laws they pass to control them also hit responsible breeders. It's such a hard thing to regulate, but San Diego has the right idea. Get the puppies out of pet stores and it stops those people who buy on impulse and unwittingly (or just don't give a damn) support a puppy miller. It is surprising in this day and age that people still don't know about puppy mills, but I run into them all the time. Another thing people don't realize is how heavily the Amish are into the whole puppy mill thing. They are one of the worst offenders.

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    1. Yeah, there's a fine line I suppose with how they have to write these laws to not impact responsible breeders. I read an article about the Amish and the puppy mills. I didn't know that until last year. Appalling!

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  7. Hooray for San Diego!

    The next big move will be to address internet puppy sales. I've even seen reputable dog blogs featuring google ads for puppy sales. As pet stores stop selling live animals, the internet will be where puppy brokers do their business.

    Looks like you and I are drinking the same water today. :)

    But you're so right that we need to get our message to more than just animal lovers. And while it doesn't thrill me, dollars and cents are the only language some people speak.

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    1. Yes, we were definitely drinking from the same fountain today! :)

      And, yes, I totally agree on the internet sales. I assume that will be harder to do. Ugh.

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  8. That is fantastic news! It's good for San Diego, and good for the animals! Bella is adorable. Hope she finds a wonderful home soon.

    Pamela (above)mentioned ads on blogs. People who choose to allow Google ads on their Web pages in order to generate a little extra revenue cannot control the content. I suppose Google automatically displays what it considers relevant ads depending on the content of the blog.

    Susan and Wrigs

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    1. That's too bad that folks can't have a say in what ads show up on their sites. It would certainly send a message to the advertisers!

      I saw Bella today since I was at the shelter. She's such a happy girl. Hopefully she'll find a furever home soon, but in the meantime she does get a lot of lovin' at the shelter.

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  9. That's great news! Hopefully more cities will follow suit.

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  10. What a great post Jackie, I'm so glad San Diego is on this! CT has set up a task force and hopefully next year will vote to ban the sale of commercially bred animals in pet stores. One at a time if that what it takes!!

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    1. Hopefully as more and more cities do it, more and more will catch on!

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  11. WTG San Diego! Hope the idea spreads everywhere

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  12. Yay, congrats to San Diego! You should be proud to live in such a great city. I hope this is only the beginning, and that many more cities and states join in. Not to mention things the federal government should also be doing.
    That Bailey was just so darn cute, I can hardly stand it. :)

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    1. Oh... it's tough to be proud to live in San Diego sometimes, considering some of our other headlines... like, oh, about our sleazy mayor right now. But, yes, at least *this* was some good SD news! :)

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  13. Well good job, San Diego! I find myself wondering, this last year, where all these puppies are going. I don't think I've seen a pet store which sells puppies or kittens since I was a kid. And I'm OLD. AND I've lived and shopped in five states since then. Where are all these puppies going?

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    1. Maybe the sellers have already wised up and moved to the internet?? That's a good point, because I had no idea there were only 2 traditional puppy stores left in SD - and I think we're like the 5th biggest city in the states! (Or close to it.)

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  14. Good for San Diego! I had no clue that Snoopy said he was a from a puppy mill...how did I miss that?

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    1. Well, he used to say "puppy farm" - not "mill" - and I'm assuming back in the day when Snoop first started saying that, it wasn't a bad thing.

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  15. YAY FOR SAN DIEGO!!! Great post...you know I had forgotten that Snoopy used to say that. OMG.
    FYI: Blog the Change ALWAYS has a theme....we can blog about what we want, but if in doubt, check with Vicki Cook about what the theme is or visit their website a week or so ahead and it will tell you.
    Great post!

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    1. Good to know about the theme thing! Thanks for the tip!

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  16. Great post and cause! Yes to getting dogs out of pet stores! URGH when people buy them they are just enabling the cause but it needs to stop!

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  17. Way to go,we hope more states join in. xx0xx

    Mollie and Alfie

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  18. Yay, congrats to San Diego!! I so wish everyone follows suit really soon to protect all the animals out there!!

    Paws crossed that Bella finds her furever home really soon :)

    Your pal Snoopy :)

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  19. You can be hugely proud of your city for banning pet store sales of pets - we all know this is one of the necessary nails in the coffin to end the horror of puppy mills and their cruelty.
    Keep up the awesome work you're doing for animals - you're a star!

    Thanks for blogging - and being - the change for animals!

    KimT
    BTC4Animals.com
    http://cindylusmuse.blogspot.com

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  20. YAY San Diego! i was so happy when i heard the news.

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